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On another thread Kalianna posted the following and I thought it was worthy of discussion and didn't want to hyjack:
"I made a food delivery from the community kitchen to the Pahoa shelter. The people in line looked like zombies. Zombies not in the sense of shell-shocked displaced people. Shell-shocked in the sense of big drug problems and mentally ill. I can't imagine the people I saw were doing anything before the eruption but squatting. This must be heaven to them but I feel for the real evacuees who have to stay here because the Keaau shelter is full."
I would have to say that the subdivisions have all kinds living in them, and when all have been displaced you should get all kinds in the shelters. However, the people with more resources, i.e., money, friends, jobs, etc. are more likely to find accommodations other than the shelters, so the percentages would probably not be consistent. Nevertheless, I resist considering one evacuee to be more "real" than another.
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I agree with you my2C. Everyone should initially be accepted at the shelter. But at what happens after the people looking for housing and willing to pay for it leave? What is left are those who were homeless before this emergency. The shelter become a homeless camp instead of a community center. It's an issue that should be considered soon so that if/when the time comes we can proceed with some preparation and compassion.
Certainty will be the death of us.
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Sadly. no small part of Puna is a de facto homeless shelter/mental institution/penal colony. Many who cross through the checkpoint cannot, for various reasons, re-enter.
Un Mojado Sin Licencia
Un Mojado Sin Licencia
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I think those who cannot produce proof of home ownership or a rental agreement should not be in the shelters. Not sure what to do about the caretakers, some are quite transient, one would think they have a home base somewhere IDK.
I was in Pahoa one night at the onset of the new flow and it was recommended to me not to go home that evening due to a sudden change in the winds, the fumes were too strong in my neighborhood. Not wanting to impose on friends at the last minute as it was getting late I thought I'd see if I could sleep at the shelter. What a nerve wracking experience that was. The workers and volunteers were amazingly wonderful and supportive but the place was a zoo, mostly transients inside that in my opinion were exploiting the situation. The volunteers gave me hot tea and some blankets and I decided to sleep in my car. I must have parked in at least 5 different places looking for an elusive quiet spot at 10pm. Unfortunately I finally parked and tucked myself about 50 yards from a little tent city that turned on a loud generator at 10:30pm to watch movies with friends and family who just drove in in different cars to join the party then return home around midnight. Transients or very loud and insensitive people, not a comfortable experience by any means. I did hear they cleaned it up and are enforcing new rules. I sure hope it's more peaceful now for the displaced.
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I don't think paperwork is the answer. Many people fled on short notice and shouldn't be turned away from the shelter for lack of papers. Gotta let everyone in. Time will sort the functional from the dysfunctional. The shelter will need to close at some point. But then what?
Certainty will be the death of us.
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I've been told that the Kea'au shelter is at capacity because of it's proximity to Hilo and its homeless population.
I have no reason to disbelieve the truth of that.
Kea'au is further away from the flows than Pahoa.
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Was a Democrat until gun control became a knee jerk, then a Republican until the crazies took over, back to being a nonpartisan again.
This time, I can no longer participate in the primary.
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quote:
Originally posted by kalianna
I don't think paperwork is the answer. Many people fled on short notice and shouldn't be turned away from the shelter for lack of papers. Gotta let everyone in. Time will sort the functional from the dysfunctional. The shelter will need to close at some point. But then what?
It would be nice if the people at the shelter were only people who were forced to move. In other words if the home you were sleeping in is no longer there or is inaccessible, then you qualify.
Having to live next to the chronically homeless with their untreated mental illnesses and their substance abuse is not going to help people get back on their feet.
Having to compete for space and resources only makes this disaster that much more difficult to recover from.
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I'm sure this is a problem that has been repeating time and time again in tornado and hurricane alleys. How have they been dealing with this issue? But also, who are we to judge? Whether you're homeless because of the volcano or through some other circumstances, homeless is homeless. If we're getting outside money thrown at the problem then it should be seen as an opportunity rather than trying to find some way to segregate people. It seems to me they could run the shelters a bit like a hostel. A lot of rules and those who don't follow them or meet the sobriety or curfews aren't allowed back in that night.
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I think if some of you spent the night there you wouldn't be so "accepting" of the transients and the generational professional welfare recipients exploiting the benefits that have been made available specifically to those displaced by the current lava flow. This is not a free for all for all the down and outs passing thru the Big Island. I was hyper-aware of the location of my wallet and keys at all times. Our displaced friends and neighbors deserve so much more, I know I did the one night I braved the shelter.
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"Whether you're homeless because of the volcano or through some other circumstances, homeless is homeless."
A working person made homeless by a natural disaster ought to be viewed--and treated--differently that a person in a homeless state because of their personal decision to avoid work and instead lay around all day getting high.
